


How He Came to Love Him

by Bella_Monoxide



Series: To Love Him is to Care for Him - Storyline [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No ZA, Dense Rick, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Smitten Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-03-31 08:55:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3971785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_Monoxide/pseuds/Bella_Monoxide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Rick have their chance meeting - romance ensues, eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Caught Anything?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RickylLover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RickylLover/gifts).



> This story belongs within the 'To Love Him is to Care for Him' storyline.  
> Can be read as a stand alone, though.  
> And I'd say that it can even be read first.

They had been sitting in that same spot at the river for more than two hours now, but so far, had nothing to show for their efforts. Wondering if he had picked the wrong spot to fish in the first place, or maybe the wrong bait, Rick stared off into the distance, while Carl sat next to him, holding on to his fishing pole.

It had been Rick's idea to go and spend some time at the river when he had Carl for a weekend, since he had been taught how to fish by his grandfather a long time ago. Now he turned his head, about to ask Carl if he would want to call it quits, when they both heard the lightest of footsteps approach.

Looking in that direction, he and Carl saw a man stepping out of the nearby treeline, walking towards them. Not knowing what to make of it, Rick got up to be on eye level. As the man came closer, Rick noticed the unruly hair, which was hanging into his eyes, as well as angelic features and a piercing glance, cast out of half-lidded eyes.

Bedroom eyes, Rick thought, and then, suddenly, the guy stood in front of him. Meeting his gaze head on, Rick suddenly did not know what to say, and so he just waited, while the guy kept on staring right into Rick's own pair of blue eyes.

The moment was over when Carl said "Hello, can we help you with something?" And, turning towards his dad, "Do you know this man, dad?"

Rick managed a headshake, and the other guy said "I just saw you fishing and thought I stop by to tell you this isn't the best spot for it, you should try it up the river a ways." Mumbling under his breath, he also said "And it's not the right time of day to catch anything decent, either." Almost inaudibly.

Rick, always the gentleman, bristled a little at that, but decided to be a good sport about it. "I went fishing with my grandfather a lot, but, obviously, it didn't stick too well."

Thrusting his hand out, he introduced himself. "Rick Grimes, and this fine young man here is Carl, my son, as you may have guessed by now." The other guy looked at Rick's hand for a moment, as if contemplating whether to shake or better not risk it.

A determined look on his face, he grabbed it in a tight grip, saying "Daryl Dixon," when he felt a jolt going through his entire body. Letting go rather abruptly in surprise, he noticed that Rick seemed as if he had felt it, too.

Quickly looking away, Daryl turned to shake Carl's hand as well. Carl looked up at him in wonder, then blurted "Is that a crossbow?" Unshouldering his weapon, Daryl grinned, and Rick thought fleetingly that he had never seen anything so endearing, but the thought was gone again just as soon.

"Yeah," Daryl said, "I have the weekend off, go huntin' then, most times."

"Wow," Carl answered, looking awed, "really hunting? How did you learn that? Can I hold that bow?"

His expression turning serious, Daryl shook his head. "No, Carl, I'm sorry, but it is a weapon, and without proper instruction it's too dangerous to handle it." With that being said, he looked over at Rick again, and said "I'm sure your dad agrees on that." And Rick nodded, grateful that Daryl was being so thoughtful.

"Well, can you teach me, then?" Carl asked eagerly.

"Carl," Rick intervened, "I'm sure Mister Dixon has other things to do." Daryl told them that he did not have much free time, otherwise he would have liked to show him how to use the bow. And to please call him Daryl.

"Ok, Daryl then. Can you point us the way to a better fishing spot, please?" Rick asked, and added, grinning mischiviously "And maybe tell us a better time of day to fish?" Daryl blushed a little, and, casting his eyes down, mumbled, "Um, you heard that, huh?"

While Rick was still thinking how charming Daryl looked like this, Carl tugged at his dad's sleeve. "Maybe Daryl can walk with us for a few feet, point us into the right direction?" Turning to Daryl again, he asked "Would you, Mister Daryl? Please?"

Looking at Carl, and in doing so, into a pair of blue eyes so much like his father's, had caused Daryl to have second thoughts. Originally, he had only walked over to take a closer look at the handsome guy sitting at the river, but now he knew better, since apparently his subconscious had already decided for him.

While approaching father and son, he had walked way louder than he would have normally done, and that was how he had realised that his subconscious was obviously faster on the uptake.

Oh, the hell with it, he thought, might as well sink with the ship fully and truely, and he told them that yes, he would do so.

Right afterwards though, he really wished he had not said that, because Rick's laser-like beam hit him full on as he smiled at Daryl, thankful for his help, and from that moment on, if not earlier even, Daryl was well and truely done for.

Shaking his head a little, he walked ahead, but was quickly caught by Carl, who bombarded him with questions. Smiling, Daryl answered a few of them, but Rick told his son not to bother him like that soon, and Carl pulled a face, but stopped with his inquires.

After showing them a better spot, Daryl exchanged a few words with Rick, but excused himself soon, and went on his way to try and catch some game. Later on that day he thought that it was rather ironic, hunting for game when he had already found it – in Rick.

* * *

Arriving back home on Sunday, he met his brother Merle at the door of their house, and they talked briefly. Merle was on his way to have a beer with friends, and Daryl wanted a shower in the worst possible way.

When Daryl turned around to go inside, Merle asked him another question that had him turn around again, gaping. "So," Merle said, "who's the guy?" And seeing Daryl looking at him like that, he smiled gleefully.

"Thought you could pull the wool over ole Merle's eyes, little brother, huh?" He shook his head in mock hurt. "But no, you can't. I see it in your face, you're clearly smitten. Come on, who is it, hm? And how in the heck did you manage to find someone in the woods in the first place?"

Daryl shook his head, knowing that it was no use trying to get out of that one, Merle would only continue to tease him. "I saw a guy trying to fish, but not getting any." Mentally smacking his own forehead, he waited for the reprieve that was sure coming. Merle did not disappoint.

"But you gave him some, huh?" And his older brother laughed his unique cackling, rough laugh that crinkled up all those little wrinkles around his eyes.

Sighing loudly, Daryl retorted "No, Merle, I showed them a better spot to fish."

"Oh them? So he already got another guy and that is why you didn't get any, so now you're frustrated?"

By then, Daryl was ready to pull his hair out. "He was fishing with his son, Merle. A'ight? Geez."

"Oh." Merle's expression changed, and he put a comforting arm around Daryl's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Dare. I really dunno how you're doing it, with all those straight guys out there."

Yeah," Daryl grumbled, "tell me about it."

"You wanna come along, shootin' some pool, have a few?" Merle offered.

"No, thanks. Besides," Daryl grinned, "at least one of us should be sober tomorrow, right?" And he bumped Merle's shoulder, before they went their respective ways.

Daryl spend the evening at home, having a relaxing enough time. But he could not shake the feeling that he was missing something important.

* * *

Rick, on the other hand, was having the usual trouble when he drove Carl over to his ex-wife and her new husband's home in Atlanta. Somehow Lori always managed to bitch about something, and if it were not for his love for Carl, Rick would long have decided to just call it quits.

Carl's half sister on her hip, Lori nagged about this and that, but ultimately arrived at her favorite topic. "Why don't you move to Atlanta, Rick? It would be so much easier!"

Rick sighed deeply. "Lori. Maybe it would, but for who, hm? Besides, I like living in a small town." Before Lori could start over again, Rick called for Carl to tell him goodbye. "I will see you again in two weeks, alright?" Carl nodded gloomily, but somehow Lori always managed to overlook that.

Sighing again, Rick patted little Judith's head carefully, and the girl reached for him with her chubby arms. Rick would have loved to hold her, but Lori was resolutely holding on to her and Shane's daughter, making sure she would not bond with Rick. After that, she nearly shoved him out of the door, which caused Carl to look at his mom's back quite angrily.

Seeing that, Rick felt somewhat relieved, and he nodded to his son again before he left to drive back home. Usually, on his drive from Atlanta back to his hometown, Rick was really angry and had trouble to concentrate on driving, but this time he was rather thoughtful.

Arriving at the small house he had rented for the time being, he wondered why he had thought about Daryl Dixon so often during the drive, but did not know what to make of it, and so he dismissed it, shrugging his shoulders.

But he should find himself thinking back to this particular drive quite often during the next two weeks, because the hunter continued to pop up in his thoughts like some weird, Robin-Hood-like Jack in a box.


	2. Debate over Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick needs something and 'runs' into Daryl along the way.

 

 

_Two weeks later._

When Rick and Carl had made it out of Atlanta, both of them were releasing huge sighs. Looking at each other briefly in the car, they laughed. "You know, dad," Carl said, smiling, "sometimes I think mom just has to nag like that. It seems that is her way to survive, or something."

Rick chuckled. "What surprises me though," he answered, "is that she should be the happy one."

"Yeah," Carl gave back thinking, "since she cheated on you and not the other way around, right?"

A little scandalised, Rick looked at Carl again.

Rolling his eyes, Carl said "Dad. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"Hm," Rick said, embarrassed, "I guess you're right." They stayed silent for a while, each occupied with their own thoughts. But when they arrived in that small town, Rick asked Carl "Do you know what I need now?"

"You need cake!" Carl almost sung it, and Rick blushed, realising that his sweet tooth was well known. Gee, he thought, chuckling, it's a wonder I am not rolling around by now, what with all the treats I get all the time. And with that, he drove off to his favorite café.

Walking inside, he and Carl went to the counter to order, and Rick was greeted by the owner of the establishment. Thinking back to his talk with Carl on the way home, Rick smiled. Even the owner and staff know me by name, and what I like most as well, he thought.

"So," Eric, the owner, said, his arms akimbo, "what will it be this time, Rick? Blueberrymuffin? Or..." And here, he performed a dramatic turn around his own axis, grabbed a baking tin and presented it to Rick and Carl with a florish, "...Triple Chocolate Cookies?" He nearly sung, and Carl grinned from ear to ear.

His mouth watering, Rick looked between the offered treats, but found it hard to decide. "Mister Eric," Carl intervened after a minute, "just give my dad one of each. It will take him ages to decide, you know that, right?

Winking at Carl, Eric did just that, then asked what he would like and Carl said "Applepie" nearly at the same time as Rick and Eric. Laughing, they went to find a table, and Rick heard the guy next in line mutter under his breath. "I hate apple pie." The handsome looking man visibly shuddered, and Rick felt a bit sorry for him.

How must it be like to pass on such a delicious treat? He thought to himself, and, lost in his own thoughts while starting on the muffin, Rick looked back at the counter, where the handsome man got a coffee to go.

Eric packed one of the cookies into the bag as well, winking at the guy, and said to him "Have a lovely afternoon, Aaron!"

Hm, Rick thought, watching the scene, am I imagining things, or did that Aaron guy blush just now..? But he got pulled out of his thoughts by Carl, who gasped, looking out of the window. The parking lot could be seen from here, and just now a gleaming Harley Davidson had arrived. The driver was wrestling with his helmet at the moment, and Carl said "Dad, that is a cool bike!"

"Yeah, Carl, I agree. Though I don't know if I would..." Carl interrupted his dad in midsentence, shouting "Dad! It's Mister Daryl!" Rick's jaw dropped, as he watched Daryl walking over to the entrance of the café, clad in leather and looking, well, hot.

Why do I think a guy looks hot, Rick thought, what the heck is wrong with me? But while he was still thinking, Daryl had entered the place and was walking by their table, when he recognised Carl at the same time as Rick's son said "Hi Mister Daryl! You got such a cool bike!"

Chuckling, Daryl said "Thank you, Carl. Back in town, I see?"

"Yeah, but only for the weekend." The teen answered somewhat gloomyly. Daryl looked at Rick, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'not much I can do', and Daryl nodded. "Hi Rick, nice to see you again."

"You too, Daryl. How did you hunting trip go?"

"Oh," Daryl answered, "it was ok. What about your fish? Caught any?" Carl answered this time. "It took some time, but we got three fish, Mister Daryl! Thank you for showing us that other spot again!" And Carl beamed at Daryl, his look full of admiration.

Daryl appeared to be a little uncomfortable with that, and Rick tried to change that around by asking him to go get something to drink and sit with him and Carl for a moment. Nodding, Daryl turned to walk up to the counter, where Eric was already waiting with a steaming mug.

"Daryl," he beamed, "aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Daryl laughed, and said "Hey Eric, thank you for always being so nice to me. I'll have one of them cookies, too, please."

Eric put cookies on a plate and said "There you go. And it is not flattery, only the truth."

Shaking his head, Daryl took both mug and plate, then walked back to sit with Rick and Carl. They talked about this and that while enjoying their drinks and treats. After a while, Carl asked Daryl about his bike again, and Daryl explained that he and his brother co-owned a Harley Davidson garage in Atlanta, but still lived in their hometown.

When Rick said that it must be impractical, what with the long commute everyday, Daryl looked off into the distance, thinking. "I guess you're right," he said after a moment, "but we have an apartment over the garage, and don't drive back everyday. I just like the outdoors too much, Atlanta is such a huge city."

He turned sideways towards Rick, and found that he had been watching Daryl already. Rick's intense gaze had Daryl blushing, and he looked away again quickly, meeting Eric's glance. Smiling sympathetically, Eric nodded at Daryl, then continued to serve his customers.

Completely out of the blue, Rick asked "How do you take your coffee, Daryl?"

But it was Carl who answered, while Daryl looked scandalised, as if the question alone had offended him. "Black, right, Mister Daryl?"

"How else would I drink it?" Daryl said, shuddering, while Rick wrinkled his nose in distaste. Carl doubled over laughing, which caused Rick and Daryl to look at each other.

Understanding dawned on Rick's face, but Daryl was faster. "How do _you_ drink your coffee, Rick?" He said, looking almost affronted, spying the sugar shaker standing way too close to Rick's cup. Blushing deeply, Rick tried to shove it away, but it was too late. Daryl shook his head in aversion, muttering under his breath.

Carl asked Daryl if he could go to look at his bike, and Daryl said yes, but not to touch it. "I will gladly explain it to you later, but you can go and look meanwhile."

"Great," Carl beamed, "thanks!" And with that he was out of the shop in a jiffy.

Shaking his head at his son's eagerness, Rick looked up again, only to meet Daryl's intense gaze. Weird, Rick thought, his stare is oddly captivating, and he looked back for what felt like the longest time. Daryl cleared his throat and tore his gaze away, looking into his coffee cup instead.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, the radio suddenly came to life and started blaring a song by, as Daryl said to Merle once, those godawful Backstreet Boys, which had both Daryl and Rick sitting boltupright, all intense staring forgotten.

A mischivious grin on his face, Eric turned the volume down and pretended nothing had happened. Spotting that, Daryl shook his head, but had to smile at Eric's antics. He turned around again when Rick spoke.

"You know, that song always reminds me of a movie, but I can't remember which one. Annoying, huh?" And he looked at Daryl, as if he might come up with the correct title. Thinking that he would rather take Rick out for dinner and a movie, Daryl just huffed. Then he had an idea.

Pulling out his wallet, he dug around for one of his business cards, and after he found one, he went to ask Eric for a pen. Passing it over the counter, Eric wore a worried expression on his handsome face.

Luckily, Daryl was too busy to notice it and turned around to go back, looking out of the window as he went along. He saw that Carl was not alone anymore, and with a nod in his direction, he said to Rick "How about you go go ahead, and I'll follow you in a second?"

Nodding, Rick got up and turned around to leave the café, calling to Eric over his shoulder "Bye Eric!", who hollered back "Bye Rick, have a great day!"

Smiling to himself, Rick went outside, walked over to Daryl's impressive bike, and Carl looked relieved. "Hey Dad, where is Daryl?"

"Oh, he will be out here in a moment." Rick answered while he looked around at the assembled crowd, pulling his cop authority around himself like a well worn jacket. It worked, especially after people put two and two together.

"Daryl? Oh, right, of course that's Daryl Dixon's bike!" A burly man said, and one after the other went away, leaving Rick and Carl relieved.

"Sorry Carl, if I had spotted this earlier..." Rick put an arm around his son's shoulders, hugging him to his side.

"It's ok, dad. Was weird, but not threatening." Daryl walked up then, coming to a halt close to Rick, his arm brushing Rick's in the process. Feeling something cutting lightly into his palm, Rick looked down at his hand, noticing that Daryl tried to slip a card into it.

Taking the card, Rick looked up into Daryl's face – only to meet his eyes again, staring into his own with an unreadable expression. "Here," Daryl said in a low tone, his voice barely above a whisper. "My card, I've written my cell number on the back. Call me, a'ight?" Rick nodded, feeling dazed.

But apparently that was the right reaction, cause a smile lit up Daryl's face, making Rick feel all kinds of weird. And while he was still trying to sort through the thoughts and feelings that were suddenly overwhelming him, Daryl went and showed Carl his bike, even letting him sit on it.

* * *

After they parted, Rick and Carl had spent the rest of the day enjoying each others company, and Rick felt happy to have his son around again, even though he wished for a different arrangement in general. They ordered pizza, watched a movie together and stayed up quite late, but when Rick's head finally hit the pillow of his bed, he realised that sleep would not come easily.

Eventually, after a lot of tossing and turning, Rick realised that seeing Daryl Dixon getting along so well with his son was what had him lying awake long into the night, and he wondered yet again what the heck this was all about. But, sadly, he was not successful in his musings, and only fell asleep during the wee hours of the next day.


	3. Will a Simple Pep Talk Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merle gives Daryl a piece of his mind, while Rick goes for another treat.

During the next week, Daryl felt constantly on edge, but it took him a while to figure out why that was. When he did though, it did not help a thing to improve his mood. Cursing over a particularly stubborn bike he had tried to repair during the morning, he lost grip on the wrench and all in all felt like kicking some immobile object to get rid of at least part of his frustration.

Merle looked over at his younger brother, his brow furrowed in worry. Since meeting that guy and his son in the woods, Daryl had not been himself at all. Even working on bikes did not seem to calm him like it usually did.

Sighing, Merle looked at the clock. Noticing that it was nearly time for their break, he called over to Daryl. "Hey Dare!" Ignoring Daryl's grumpy response, Merle kept on speaking. "How 'bout we grab lunch at that diner down the street? My treat."

Sensing that Daryl was about to tell him no, Merle's face got serious. "Dare. I dunno what's gotten into you, but I'm sure some time spend talking over lunch with your big brother will help, so I won't take no for an answer, a'ight? Now pack those tools away, you're bound to make it worse with that mood you're in."

Daryl all but threw the tools back into the boxes, then went towards the back of their garage to wait for Merle in the staff room, while his brother put the finishing touches to the machine he was working on. One of their regulars would come in right after their break to get his bike back, so Merle had to finish his job before they went out to lunch.

Half an hour later found both Dixon brothers seated in their usual spot in that diner, each with a hearty lunch in front of them. Deciding that it would be better to wait until after eating before he brought Daryl's love life – or lack thereof – up, Merle talked bikes for a while, and Daryl threw in a comment here and there.

When they reached dessert though, Merle looked at his younger brother, no longer able to hold up any form of pretence, and concern was written all over his rough features.

"Dare," he started, and Daryl rolled his eyes. "I know, I know – you don't wanna talk about it. But the face you're pulling all the time is damn near scaring the customers away."

Daryl huffed, knowing full well that their customers were used to his scowls.

Some of them biker chicks even seemed to crave them, and Daryl had to tread real careful as to not step on their boyfriend's toes, since the fact that the younger Dixon batted for the other team was not exactly kept hidden, but he did not run around putting billboards up, either.

But with the way he felt since he last saw Rick and Carl, he did not even feel like calling his brother out on his bluff. He just rolled his eyes and waited for Merle to get to the point.

"So what about that guy, huh? The one with the kid?" And Merle talked resolutely over Daryl, who had instantly begun to defend himself. "Dare. Please. I might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I'm intelligent enough to figure that one out. You've been off somehow, ever since you met them in the woods. So. You better start talkin' now."

And with that being said, Merle leaned back, waiting, arms crossed in front of his broad chest. Daryl bit his lower lip, squirming in his seat. He knew that Merle would wait until the cows came home if need be.

Sighing deeply, he began to tell Merle how he met Rick and Carl again on the weekend, how they had sat together and talked in that café. When he came to the part where he had shown Carl his precious bike, Merle had the hardest time to surpress a laugh.

His brother, showing his most priced possession, aside from his crossbow, to the guy's kid! Shaking his head, Merle listened to Daryl, who just said that he had given one of his cards to Rick, asking him to call.

"Right. So that's it, then? He hasn't called yet, and that's what has you acting like this?" Disliking Merle's smile, Daryl looked to the side, brooding. Of course, cursing his luck, one of the waitresses was just then casting a look in his direction.

Sighing deeply, Daryl stared at his brother again, so the girl would not get the wrong idea. "Making the staff nervous again, lil' brother?" Merle asked, grinning. "Them ladies love your brooding face, huh?"

Cackling, Merle proceeded to tell Daryl that he thought his brother was totally in love with Rick, which was quite the new development. Up until then, his younger brother had only had one serious relationship, and that was it.

Shaking his head, Merle asked Daryl if there was a chance for him to bump into Rick again sometime, and they talked it over for a while, with Merle suggesting to start with that café, since Eric was one of Daryl's acquaintances.

When he mentioned that, Daryl actually smacked his forehead and told Merle about the stunt Eric had pulled on him and Rick. "That sneaky little shit," Merle said, but he grinned wide as he said it. "So there you go, Dare – talk to Eric about it."

"Merle," Daryl said, sounding desperate to close the topic, "Rick's gotta kid. He's bound to be hetero."

"I dunno. Sounds to me like you had some serious eye contact there. And if you're that smitten," Here, he was rudely interrupted as Daryl called "Am not!" over his older brother, who gave right back "Yes, you are! Geez, Dare."

Merle shook his head. "As I was saying, if you're that into him, you might as well give it another try. And now we should head out, Joe 's probably waiting by now." Grumbling, Daryl went to get rid of his tray, followed by Merle, and the brothers headed back to their garage together.

* * *

Some miles away, over in Merle and Daryl's hometown, Eric sat in the back of his café for a small break. He had just finished dealing with the lunch crowd and was glad to get off his feet for a moment.

When he heard the little bell above the door tinkle, he quietly sighed, but got up to serve whatever customer had just walked in.

Thinking that mother nature was quite rude, cause she had redheads blushing more obviously then other people, Eric smiled with his reddened cheeks and said "Oh hi, Aaron! A late lunch? What can I get you?" While he was already in the middle of preparing Aaron's usual choice of coffee.

"Actually," Aaron started, then paused again to clear his throat, "I didn't come for coffee."

Eric's face fell. "Oh." He said. "Is something wrong?" And he looked into Aaron's handsome face, fearing for the worst, since this was still the South after all, and he had flirted with the guy rather openly. So now he was waiting for the fallout to come.

Aaron did not notice that Eric looked at him, because he had cast his own eyes down by then, trying to decide on how to go ahead with what he wanted to say. But he only managed to mention that he had wanted to ask Eric something, when the doorbell chimed again.

"I'll best let you get back to work, then." Aaron made to turn around and leave, but Eric was having none of it.

"Here, I already made it, so you might as well drink it." He said, handing the coffee mug over to Aaron. "You can sit over there and wait until I have served my next customer."

And with that, he smiled and said "Hi Rick, how are you today? Not too much trouble at the station, I hope?"

"Hey Eric, no, today is rather quiet, but best not to say that too loud, just in case." Rick smiled, while he nodded at Aaron, recognising him from his visit last Saturday. The guy who doesn't like apple pie, he thought to himself, still confused over the fact that something like that was even possible. Aaron nodded back, while Eric asked Rick what he would like today.

"Oh, seeing as you know my taste better than I do by now, why don't you just surprise me?"

"Sure," Eric said back, and with an air of a secrecy, he packed a paper bag with some sweet treat, no doubt. After they had exchanged some more pleasantries, Rick had turned around to walk out again, when Eric remembered something. "You sat with Daryl last time, right?"

Turning back around, Rick nodded. "You know him?"

"Yeah," Eric answered, "he's a great guy. Looked like you two get along well."

"Hm, yeah." Rick answered, looking thoughtful. "Though me and my son have only met him a couple weeks ago. He gave me his card..." Rick drifted off, looking into the distance.

"Hm. Did he now?" Eric said. "Well. If Daryl Dixon gave _me_ his card, I would call him all the time. Anyway, have a great day, Rick, and let me know how you liked your treat!"

"Will do, Eric, bye!" Rick gave back and walked outside again.

Grabbing a glass of water for himself, Eric sat down with Aaron, who looked at him funny. "What?" Eric asked, puzzled.

"Um, the way you talked about Daryl Dixon just now..." Aaron looked at him, a question in his eyes. Alright, Eric thought, trying to collect his courage, might as well go ahead then. But Aaron was faster as he continued, saying "You know, I waited in my car for a while until after lunch time, so I could talk to you in private."

Eric only managed a softly whispered 'oh' as a reply to that. He looked into Aaron's eyes, wondering again what colour they were, when Aaron resumed to speak. "Yeah. I, um, wanted to ask if you would like to go to dinner with me sometime?"

Eric's eyes nearly popped out of his face at that, and Aaron looked nervous. "I hope I haven't misread you, a'ight? It's just that, you know, everytime I came here you have..."

"...been flirting with you, yes." Eric finished his sentence. "And yes, I would very much like to go to dinner with you."

Beaming, Aaron got a card out to hand to Eric. "Of course," he said, smiling while still holding on to the card as if to tease Eric with it, "if you'd rather go out with Daryl Dixon..." And he winked at Eric, who grinned. "No, I think he's already in love with someone else." And with that, he winked back at Aaron, snatching the card out of his hand.


	4. Of Accidents, Fawning Waitresses and Dates in Disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick meets new people and spends some time on the phone while Daryl takes chances.

Back at the station, Rick happily ate a huge cookie with caramel and macadamia nuts, thinking back to his talk with Eric. When he had finished his cookie off, he got Daryl's card out of his wallet and twirled it around in his fingers, while looking off into the middle distance.

A couple minutes later, he blurted out a heartfelt curse, thinking that he should not have said anything about the day being quiet so far, as they had just gotten notice of an accident, and he hopped into a cruiser with his partner, heading that way.

From what they heard, a motorbike was involved, and that was never a good thing. Rick thought fleetingly about the Dixon brothers, both of which were bikers, but they had reached the site by then, and he saw the ambulance already there, waiting for the firefighters to cut one of the cars open so they could check on the victim inside.

"Oh boy," Rick muttered under his breath.

"Yeah," his partner said, "I'll never get used to these." And he pointed over to the biker, who lay unconscious in a field, being tended to by paramedics. Rick nodded in agreement, as he and his partner started their own protocol.

* * *

Hours later saw Rick at the hospital, talking to one of the doctors that had treated the young biker. "Excuse me, doctor," a deep voice rumbled behind him, and Rick turned around. A bolder of a man, clad in leather and carrying a helmet, was walking towards them. Doctor Jenner said "Yes?"

"'M Merle Dixon, here for Zach, the biker that had the accident today?"

"Oh yeah, you were his only contact, right?" Merle nodded, and Rick cut in.

"Are you Daryl's brother, Mister Dixon?" He thrust his hand out for Merle to shake, and introduced himself. "Rick Grimes, me and my partner were the responding officers. I was just talking to doctor Jenner here about Zach." Merle looked Rick over, while he shook his hand with a tight grip.

"Yeah, Daryl is my baby brother, he said you two met." And, a lot quieter now, he added under his breath "Didn't say nothing about you being a cop, though."

Rick was puzzled for a moment, but then smiled at Merle. "I guess it never came up. So, are you a relative of Zach's?"

"Nope. Me and Daryl do a little social work on the side, so to speak. Take in kids that had a bad start in life, give them a chance to work at our shop. Help them dealing with authorities 'n stuff." Rick nodded, and Merleturned towards Dr Jenner again. "So, doctor. How is Zach? Can I see him?"

The doctor made a thoughtful face. "Look, Mister Dixon, I'm real glad that you came here so quickly, but I'm afraid that right now, it doesn't look too good. We were able to operate on Zach just fine, but our resident consultant for head injuries seems to be worried about the head trauma the boy suffered. He never regained consciousness during the time between the accident and his surgery. But of course you can see him, he is on the ICU ward still, we finished operating an hour ago."

Merle looked worried and Rick said "I'm sorry, Mister Dixon. I hope Zach comes around again soon."

Merle nodded. "Thanks, Mister Grimes. Will be hard on Daryl too – he was the one that took Zach in..." Merle looked a little lost at that. "My baby brother. He's always had a soft spot for other kids like us. And," here he looked Rick in the eyes again, "please call me Merle, a'ight?"

"Ok, but only if you call me Rick," and Merle nodded.

"Well," he said, "I'll best be heading to the ICU."

Rick looked at him sympathetically. "You know what they say – people in a coma might be noticing more than we think they are. Oh," he added on, "tell Daryl hi from me? I went to Eric today and he seems to know Daryl well."

"Yeah," Merle answered, "we talked about that guy over lunch today. They go way back, Daryl and Eric. He doin' ok?"

"Yeah. He said that Daryl and I seemed to get along well."

Merle chuckled. "Did he now?" He said, sounding amused.

"Hm," Rick mumbled, looking thoughtful. "He also said that he would call Daryl all the time if he had given him his card..."

Merle's eyes perked up visibly. "Well, Officer Friendly, why don't you, then? Heard that boy 'a yours loved Daryl's bike. Why don't you two drop by the garage sometime, look around a little?"

"Good idea, Merle, maybe we will." They shook hands again, and Merle went to check up on Zach. Rick finished talking to Dr Jenner, then went back to the station to catch up on his paperwork on the accident. Finally heading home, he had a lot on his mind.

* * *

The next day at the station, Rick sat behind his desk, thinking hard and not at all feeling like working. Absentmindedly playing with Daryl's card again, Rick tried to make sense of what Merle had said to him the day before, but could not seem to do so.

Frustrated, he gave up, and he went to get himself a coffee from the vending machine they had in the break room. Seated back at his desk again minutes later, he sipped the lukewarm liquid and shuddered.

Oh, he thought to himself, how I wish I had one of Eric's coffee's now. Which brought him right back to thinking about Eric and Daryl's relationship.

Why in the heck had Merle said that they go way back, but Eric had told him what he would do if he had been given Daryl's card by him? Surely he had his number, if they were such good friends?

Rick was about ready to pull his hair, when his cell phone chimed, and a grin spread over his face, knowing that it was his son calling him, as he was the only person that had a personal ringtone.

He talked to Carl for a minute, and asked if there was a particular reason why he had called, but it seemed like Carl only wanted to talk about their next weekend together.

Rick told him how he had met the older Dixon yesterday, and what he had suggested for Rick and Carl to do, which had Rick's son squealing in delight at the other end of the line. They hung up soon, both of them looking forward to their time together.

Being in a good mood helped Rick to decide, and he dialed the number Daryl had scrawled on the back of his card, then leaned back in his office chair when he heard the dial tone at the other end, waiting for Daryl to pick up.

* * *

Daryl's morning had been really gloomy, overcast with the news of Zach. Feeling like staying at home all day, he dragged his feet at work, and Merle felt sorry for him. In the end, he told his younger brother to just go out for a while, drive around or go get coffee.

Taking him up on that suggestion, Daryl rode his bike to a café and went inside to have one. Sitting down at a table, again totally oblivious to the effect he had on the serving personnel, he looked at nothing in particular, while his fingers made short work of a napkin.

Suddenly, The Ace of Spades by Morörhead filled the café, and Daryl cursed under his breath, fumbling to get the phone out quick, thinking that he should have thought of tuning the volume down before he went inside.

Finally managing to fish the darn device out of his pocket, he hit the button and held the phone to his ear, barking a harsh "Dixon!", while the waitress looked over at him wide-eyed.

As soon as he realised who was calling though, he felt the urge to punch a wall, and his expression turned from annoyed to mortified in a millisecond as he listened. "Hey Daryl, it's Rick. This a bad time?"

Hating himself for causing Rick to sound so tentative, Daryl closed his eyes for a moment. "Rick. No, it's fine. I..." Daryl had the hardest time to follow his own line of thinking, let alone this conversation, since hearing Rick's voice made him feel all kinds of weird.

"Um, ok. If you say so." Rick answered, sounding unsure.

Daryl tried again. "It's just that I'm in a café, and still had my phone real loud. Prolly scared all the other customers away or something." Right after he finished the sentence, Daryl squeezed his eyes shut, since Rick's laughter did even worse things to him than his voice alone.

"Well," Rick said, still sounding amused, "can't say that didn't happen to me quite a few times, too."

Feeling somewhat encouraged, Daryl answered "I'm glad you called. Merle said he met you yesterday?"

"Yeah," Rick sounded concerned now. "How are you feeling? Merle said you and Zach are kinda close, that right?"

"Hm, don't feel like talking about that right now, been having a shitty morning already."

"Oh, sorry!" Rick was quick to say.

"No, it's fine," Daryl reassured him. "So, what are you and Carl doing this weekend? Dropping by the garage?" And damn if he didn't sound way too hopeful at that, Daryl chastised himself mentally.

But apparently, that flew right over Rick's head, as he was sounding sad now. "I only have him every two weeks." Clearing his throat, he added "Seems like divorce judges still don't think a boy needs his dad as well." Daryl was quiet for a moment, and Rick asked him if he was still there.

"Yeah, I'm here. It's just, I'm sorry for ya." Rick mumbled something, when Daryl made up his mind, gathered all his courage, and asked Rick if he had time on Saturday. Sounding surprised, but pleased, Rick said yes, and Daryl could not have been happier.

"How do you feel about driving over to Atlanta, go to a bar with me? We could have dinner beforehand?" Daryl sqeezed his eyes shut and kept his fingers crossed, hoping that Rick would not change his mind.

"Sounds like a plan," was the reply, and Daryl could have pounded the air. After deciding on a time and place, they hung up, and Daryl paid for his coffee, smiling like a loon. When he went outside, he had the hardest time to withstand from doing a little happy dance.

Sobering up when he thought about Zach, Daryl drove back to the garage and asked Merle if there were any news on their protégé. Shaking his head, Merle looked at Daryl. "Something happened, Dare? Did you drive the waitresses crazy with your brooding again?"

Cursing the sheer impossibility to pull the wool over his brother's eyes, Daryl rolled his own and fessed up. "Rick called!" And damn, if he didn't sound like a total girl just now, Daryl thought, while Merle started grinning.

Pulling his younger brother into a tight hug, he ruffled Daryl's hair and asked what Officer Friendly had said. Daryl pulled a face cause he hated when Merle did that, but answered just the same, too happy about his date.

Looking at his brother, he asked him if it even could be called a date, considering that they did not know if Rick had the slightest bisexual tendency, let alone if he was interested in Daryl, but Merle only chuckled. "I dunno, lil' brother, you're the expert here."

When Saturday finally rolled around, Daryl felt like a nervous wreck. He and Rick had agreed to meet at a restaurant at seven, but Daryl feared that he might not have enough time to shower and change, since they usually stayed late on Saturdays, catching up on their work.

Sometime after lunch, Merle looked over at Daryl and asked him if he really thought that he would be staying as long as the others. Apparently, Merle was having none of that, as he all but shoved his younger brother out of the door around five, telling him to pretty up.

Daryl started to protest, not liking the expression, but Merle just laughed, told him to have a good time and to tell Officer Friendly hi.

Daryl rolled his eyes, but when he ran up the stairs to their apartment over the garage, he could not help but smile, thinking how his brother always had his back, even though he did not understand how a guy could want to be with another guy.

After his shower, Daryl stood in front of the wardrobe they shared, thinking about what to wear. They did not have many clothes stored in the apartment to begin with, and he had thought to grab some when he was back at their townhome on one of his visits to Zach.

But still. Picking up this pair of trousers and then another one, deeming them both unfit for the occasion, only to repeat the same routine with his shirts, Daryl got frustrated real fast.

In the end, he decided on a pair of his good jeans which were black, so they could pass for nice enough to be worn to a restaurant, but would not seem totally out of place at a bar later on. Then, he picked a button down shirt with short sleeves in a greenish colour of which Eric had once said it would make his eyes look different and mysterious.

With only a jacket left to pick out, Daryl let out a deep sigh of relief. Geez, he thought, why is that so hard all the time? Stuffing his keys and wallet into his pockets, he grabbed a suit jacket that would look good with his chosen ensemble and resolutely walked out the door in order to prevent himself from undressing and restarting the whole process.

When he passed the garage on his way over to the truck, Merle let out a wolf whistle, grinning his infamous shit-eating grin, and Daryl flipped him the bird, but could not help to smile over their friendly banter.


	5. A Bit of Jealousy Never Hurt Anyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl's date in disguise ensues, more fawning waitresses/waiters turn up, as well as a creepy guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes up right after where the last chapter left off. I only split it because it got way too long.

Daryl arrived at the restaurant on time and looked around for Rick, but he had not arrived yet. Beginning to get nervous again, Daryl paced for a while, but that did not help. In the end, he walked inside to ask for their table and went to sit down at it.

Fiddling around with anything that happened to be within his reach, he was just twirling around a toothpick between his fingers, when he saw Rick walking into the place, looking around searchingly. Daryl got up with what felt like a very goofy grin on his face and walked a few steps towards Rick, who had seen him by then and was walking over, grinning as well.

When they stood in front of each other, Daryl had the hardest time trying to resist to pull Rick into a tight hug. He wanted to bury his nose in the juncture between his neck and shoulder for just a moment, right above the collar of Rick's blue shirt.

Feeling mesmerised by how well that colour brought out Rick's eyes, Daryl went for a handshake instead, and he felt very awkward doing so. When their hands connected, Daryl had the weirdest déjà vu.

Feeling the same jolt running through his entire body, he thought back to the first time they met at the river. Judging from Rick's puzzled look, he must have felt it, too. Smiling to himself, Daryl turned and moved ahead, back to their table with Rick in tow.

As he looked down at the table with fresh eyes, Daryl realised that he had left quite a mess behind, as the tabletop was cluttered with toothpicks and the packages they came in, napkins and whatnot. Still looking mortified at this telltale sign of his nervousness, he heard Rick chuckling behind him.

"I'm sorry that I made you wait, Daryl," Rick said as he sat down. He looked Daryl in the eyes, which promptly caused the mechanic to forget how to breathe for a moment, and continued in a serious tone. "I somehow managed to be late already when I started to drive over, then I couldn't seem to find this place. I'm glad you didn't leave before I got here."

Daryl, who had not even realised that Rick had actually been late, just looked over while Rick was talking, watching the man in faszination.

Noticing that he might have to answer eventually when Rick had finished his excuse, Daryl shook himself slightly, and Rick smiled again, which did nothing to help Daryl concentrate. And so, he just mumbled something about not having even noticed that Rick was late, to which Rick cast a look down at the table top, still scattered with the debris of Daryl's wait.

Looking at Daryl with disbelief in his eyes, Daryl got defensive. "Seriously, Rick. I didn't. It's just, I..." Here he had to clear his throat a little before he continued, "I guess I've just been kinda nervous to see you again."

Daryl felt his heartbeat pick up, while he looked over the table at Rick, waiting for his reaction. Right then, a waitress popped up next to their table, asking if they would like to order now, and Daryl could not help but think something very close to being saved by the bell.

Rick and Daryl ordered drinks and looked at the menu for a while, deciding on what to eat. When the waitress arrived again bearing their drinks they placed their orders and after she left, Rick held his glass up and brought out a toast. "To a great evening." And he clinked his glass to Daryl's, smiling at him in that way that made Daryl all weak in the knees.

They talked about Zach for a while, since Rick had asked Daryl about his progress. They both felt relieved that the teenager had at least regained consciousness, and things were looking up for him. Later on, after they had finished their meal, Daryl asked Rick why he had joined the police force.

"That reminds me," Rick answered, "your brother didn't seem too keen about that. Any idea as to why that is..?" And he looked genuinely puzzled over the fact.

Daryl racked his brain how to answer that without spilling how his older brother would not exactly love to have a cop in the family, since he did not want to tell Rick how much he wished for him to be his partner.

"I guess he just doesn't like representatives of the law too much in general." Daryl looked over at Rick and noticed the bewildered expression on his face.

Sighing, he elaborated. "Merle and I grew up in a bad neighbourhood, with a violent, abusive father that drank too much and loved to beat his wife. Our mom didn't care much about us, either. Since Merle has roughly ten years on me, he was away from home whenever possible, running around with the wrong kind of people and into trouble. A lot."

Daryl took a swig of his coke, then continued. "He ended up in jail a couple of times, doing drugs and all that jazz. Our parents died when I was sixteen, and Merle managed to pull himself up by his bootstraps somehow, looking out for me, so I won't go down the same alley."

Daryl looked off into the distance by then, lost somewhere down memory lane.

Rick's voice pulled him back to the here and now, when he softly asked "That why you try to look out for other teenagers, like Zach?" Daryl felt Rick's hand on his shoulder, and he looked over at him, seeing only kindness in those blue eyes of his.

Managing a nod, he half turned to signal their waitress to bring the check. "I feel like going to that bar now, how about you, Rick?" He asked the cop, who nodded. "Sure, been looking forward to see that place you suggested. I've never been out much in Atlanta."

Feeling relieved over the fact that Rick did seem willing to overlook how uncomfortable Daryl had gotten while he talked about his past, Daryl paid the bill and shushed Rick when he began to protest.

"You can invite me for a drink at the bar," Daryl told him, while he left a generous tip on the table.

Noticing that, Rick said "You seem to be looking out for all kinds of people, huh?"

Daryl looked at him to make sure he was not being made fun of. When he found nothing but honest curiosity in those piercing blues, he nodded and said "Yeah. I mean, do you know what a sucky job waitressing is? Or bartending? And on top of being paid not nearly enough, you get hit on all the time, too."

At that point they were both exiting the restaurant, and Rick laughed, looking at Daryl as if he was kidding.

"What?" Daryl asked him, annoyed. "It's true! I did that a lot in between jobs!"

"Oh, I'm not doubting you, Daryl." Rick said. "It's just, with you it seems to be the other way around, you know?" Noticing that Daryl did not get what he meant by that, he asked him if he had not noticed the personnel in the restaurant being all in awe over him.

Daryl groaned loudly, while he put his face into his hands for a moment. Then, he mumbled something under his breath, and Rick asked him to repeat that. Reluctantly, he did.

"I said not you too, please. Merle always teases me about not noticing the waitresses fawning over me, I hate it. He tells me all the time that they seem to be especially fond of my what he calls brooding face. Can you believe that? It's totally ridiculous!" Daryl had gotten real worked up, and Rick had the hardest time not to laugh out loud.

Trying to change the subject, he asked if they would take both their vehicles to the bar, and they decided to use Daryl's truck, since he knew the way.

* * *

Driving over, Daryl cursed that decision, since being so close to Rick was making him feel all kinds of weird. He sighed after he parked at the bar, feeling relieved over the fact that he had made it there without getting into any accident. They went inside and picked a table to sit at.

Pretty soon, a guy appeared to take their order, and Rick asked for a menu, but Daryl spoke up.

"Oh, you won't need that just now, Rick." To the waiter, he said "This fine gentleman here will have a Police Control, and I'll take..."

"...a Blue Ice, right?" The waiter asked, and Rick could not help but laugh out loud. Looking puzzled, Daryl nodded, and the guy went over to the bar to turn their order in, while Daryl turned around to ask Rick what was so funny.

"I dunno, Daryl. There is just something about you, and you seem to be the only person not realising it. That is too funny." Rick grinned, but seeing as Daryl still looked the same way, he continued his explanation. "They even know your favorite drink here, and the way that guy looked at you just now? Man, even male personnel fawns over you."

Rick could not process the speed with which Daryl's expression changed, as he asked Rick a question. "Why the hell would only female personnel fawn over guys, huh? Rick? Tell me that, because I'd really like to know!" And with that, Daryl crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaned back in his chair and looked over at Rick, waiting for his answer.

Swallowing, Rick looked at Daryl, speechless after such an outburst. A minute later he said "I'm confused, Daryl. What are you trying to say?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Rick! I'll admit it looks cute on you, but please, it's not exactly polite to act like that!"

Rick looked flabbergasted by now. "Cute? Wait, what?" He said, and Daryl wrung his hands in desperation. "Presuming that everyone is heterosexual is considered to be very rude by all the people who are not, is what I meant, Rick."

While Rick still tried to process this, the waiter reappeared and placed their drinks in front of them.

"Boy, do I need this now," Daryl said, and took a long swig of his blue-ish drink. Sighing in content, he asked Rick if he liked the taste of his drink, and Rick tried it, which, as it turned out, was a sight to behold.

Cursing himself silently for ordering cocktails of all the drinks possible, Daryl watched with held breath as Rick sucked his drink through the straw it came with, which in itself was giving Daryl a serious hard-on, sighed deeply, and sucked some more, nearly emptying the glass half way, wearing an expression of pure bliss on his handsome face.

Opening his eyes again, Rick noticed that his glass was considerably less full, and he cast a worried look over at Daryl, who watched him with a weird expression Rick could not quite place.

"Going at this rate, I will be totally drunk in five minutes." he said, sounding sheepish, but Daryl laughed and explained that those were both unleaded cocktails, and Rick smiled. "In that case, I'll take another one."

Daryl groaned, but before Rick could ask him what was wrong, a voice behind him said "Oh, good evening to you two fine gentlemen!" Rounding their table were Eric and the guy that does not like apple pie.

Rick said "Oh hi yourself, Eric! Out as well, I see?"

"Yep, and I see that you have chosen to call Daryl after all! Good for you." Eric said, looking over at Daryl, who shifted uncomfortablely in his seat. "What did you order, Rick?"

"Daryl ordered for me, some police thingy, what was it called again, Daryl?" Eric laughed, and the other guy chimed in.

"Ooops," Eric said, "sorry! This is Aaron, we went on our first date today, so exciting!" Aaron rolled his eyes, but looked at Eric in a fond way, and shook first Daryl's, then Rick's hand. The latter burst out before he could think twice, asking Aaron about his dislike for apple pie.

Pulling a face, the handsome man with the wavy hair did not answer, but shuddered visibly. "Oh dear," Rick said, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just, I..."

"Rick has the sweetest tooth of all the people I have ever served, Aaron. I bet he just can't wrap his head around the fact that somebody might not like some type of cake." Eric explained, squeezing Aaron's hand.

"Anyway, guys, we are off to search for a table. You two have a great night, you hear?" Nodding at Rick and Daryl, Aaron and Eric went over to another table, with Eric winking at Daryl covertly as well, making sure Rick would not notice.

Finishing his first drink, Rick excused himself to the restrooms, and Daryl sat alone for about five seconds, then Eric reappeared, sitting down in a chair at the table, looking expectantly at him.

Sighing deeply, Daryl closed his eyes for a moment, then told Eric how he came to be on a date with Rick in the first place, but the cop being unaware of the date part, and that they had gotten to a restaurant first.

Eric cut in then, asking if Rick knew that they were at a gay bar, to which Daryl shook his head. "Eric, I dunno how to proceed from here. But at the same time, just watching him having a cocktail..."

"...gives you a serious hard-on that you don't know how to deal with." Eric finished the sentence for him. Smiling sheepishly, Daryl nodded, and Eric grinned at him, patting his arm. "Come on, Daryl! Switch on your charm, swipe him off his feet! From what I've seen at the café, you two got chemistry."

Daryl opened his mouth to reply, when Aaron popped up at their table, telling them that Rick had run into a handsome, but slightly creepy guy on his way back from the loo.

Daryl went to look if Rick needed help fending the guy off, but was waylaid by their waiter, who told him the same thing – only his wording was a little different. "Hey Daryl, you gotta rescue that handsome boyfriend of yours, he ran into some guy..." "I know, thanks!" Was Daryl's only answer, as he hurried along, feeling alarmed by now.

Stepping around a corner, he saw said guy, trying to touch Rick while he talked to him. But from the expression on Rick's face, Daryl could tell that he did not like what was happening. His mind made up, Daryl walked by, turned around and put his arm around Rick, pulling him close.

"Hey sweetheart, I was wondering what took you so long." He told Rick in his best imitation of a bedroom voice, just to get the point across to – "Gareth!" Daryl gaped at the guy, lost for words. Out of all the possiblities, this was the one Rick stumbled across on, for all Daryl knew, his first trip to a gay bar.

Gareth, seemingly unfazed by the action unfolding in front of him, only said "Oh hi Daryl, didn't know you got yourself a boyfriend." And Daryl prayed for Rick to catch up quick, before Gareth noticed anything being amiss.

When Daryl felt Rick's arm sneak around his own waist, he could not help but close his eyes for a moment, having craved that feeling for such a long time by then. Taking courage from the fact that it felt even better than he could have imagined in his wildest dreams, he told Gareth in no uncertain terms to back off, and pulled Rick with himself, back to their table.

Eric and Aaron were sitting at their own table again, looking over to see if the situation was under control, as their waiter stepped up. "Everything alright, Daryl?"

"Yeah, thanks. That guy who tried to chat Rick up is Gareth, remember him from that other time at the club?"

The waiter looked horrified. "Oh. Gareth? As in, slutty I-can-get-any-guy-I-want-just-watch-me-Gareth?"

"Yep," Daryl answered, "the very one. I think this calls for another round, whatcha say, Rick?" But Rick did not feel like saying anything, he only nodded in agreement.

A while later, they had made short work of their drinks, when Rick quietly spoke. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"When I saw you looking at me, did I imagine something? Or did you, I dunno, you just..." Daryl felt the strong urge to pull Rick close, but could not make himself do it. Instead, he put his arm loosely around his shoulders, then he leaned forward, putting his mouth close to Rick's ear, and whispered "I was jealous, Rick."

Wide-eyed, Rick turned his head to look at Daryl. "Does that mean..?"

"What, Rick?" Daryl asked in a challenging tone.

Clearing his throat, Rick tried again. "Are you..? Wait. Is that why you got all affronted over that assumption thing?" Daryl nodded, seriously contemplating to offer Rick a cookie for getting it right after all.

"Yes, Rick. I love guys, not girls. And while we're already at it – you are in a gay bar. Which is also the reason why I went after you when Aaron told me about that creepy guy talking to you."

"Huh?" Was all Rick managed, still wide-eyed and gaping. Daryl took courage from the fact that he had not pulled away from under Daryl's arm yet, nor had he left the bar, either. And so he continued explaining.

"Unfortunately, some gays, not all of them, mind you, but some, are very forward in their advances, to put it mildly. And since you were unaware, I thought I'd better look for you. Our waiter told me to, as well, by the way. And," Daryl added, sighing, "he assumed that we are together."

Rick turned his body towards Daryl, looking him straight in the eyes. "He assumed that we are a couple, you and I? Really?" Daryl nodded, looking right back, even though he felt like hanging his head right now. Then, something unexpected happened.

"Do you know that your eyes look way different tonight?" Rick asked him, seemingly out of the blue. While Daryl gaped at him, Rick continued. "I already noticed at the restaurant. Is that your shirt colour, maybe?"

"Um..." Daryl managed, by then hopelessly lost in Rick's own pair of crystal blue eyes. Without noticing, Daryl had begun to play with Rick's curly hair at the nape of his neck, and now he lifted his other hand, slowly moving it to cup Rick's stubbled jaw.

Nearly inaudibly, Daryl whispered "Rick? Can I..." Leaning even closer, Daryl tried again. "I would like to kiss you, Rick. Please?" They looked into each other's eyes for a small eternity, until Rick nodded ever so slightly, and that was all it took for Daryl to lean all the way in. He softly kissed Rick's pink, perfectly shaped lips, moaning under his breath.

Pulling away after what felt like a really long time, but not nearly long enough as well, Daryl had only one thing on his mind. "I know I am being forward myself now, Rick. But I had planned on staying in the apartment over the garage tonight, and I would really love for you to join me."

"I think I would like that very much, Daryl." Rick answered, and Daryl beamed at him. They slowly stood, and made to walk over to the bar, when Rick suddenly put up a hand. "I will go and pay for our drinks, and I'll make sure to leave a tip, too."

And with that, he turned around to do just that, which left Daryl with a minute to walk over and say goodbye to Eric and Aaron, who both beamed at him. Rick joined them to say bye as well, and then they headed out, with Daryl grabbing Rick's hand and holding on tight all the way back to his truck.

* * *

Eric and Aaron had been watching the whole scene unfold with their breaths held, and when Daryl had leaned in to kiss Rick, Eric had nearly broken Aaron's hand in excitement. After the two had told them goodbye, and they had watched them leaving the bar hand in hand, Eric had sighed deeply.

Aaron looked at him. "Man, you are such a hopeless romantic, huh?" He teased Eric, but with a twinkle in his eye. Punching his new boyfriend playfully on the shoulder, Eric said "As if you hadn't watched yourself, pft!" And he smiled at Aaron, who pulled him in for a scorching kiss.

Coming back up for air, Eric asked "Did you just try to make sure I would not run off with Daryl?" He teased Aaron right back.

But the handsome looking guy just laughed, hugged Eric tight, and whispered into his ear. "He's already in love with someone else, remember? 'Sides, will show you later how much I'm in love with you, if you'll let me. How about it, hm..?"

And Eric grinned happily, nuzzling the spot behind Aaron's ear, whispering back. "Let's go, then!" And they got up to leave as well, smiling just as hard as Rick and Daryl had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The cocktails mentioned are actual drinks that you can order at a bar I went to yesterday. They have a long list of unleaded drinks to choose from, and I drank a Police Control in honor of Rick Grimes. Then I decided today to just put it in the story, since it was a rather sweet drink, which would totally fit the Rick described here :) Of course, Daryl is having the Blue Ice because of his, well, blue eyes.


	6. The Sweetest Perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl spend the night at the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another great song by British synth-pop band Depeche Mode, 'The Sweetest Perfection', came to my mind while I wrote this chapter. Even though I am pretty sure that the lyrics refer to drugs somehow, I think that at least the title in itself is rather fitting.

After Rick and Daryl had climbed back into the truck to drive over to the Dixon's Garage, Daryl paused for a moment before he turned the key, and turned himself around instead, facing Rick in the passenger seat.

"Rick," he started to say, then suddenly lost his train of thought completely, as Rick looked right back at him with such an open, vulnerable expression on his handsome face that it made Daryl's heart melt just a little bit more. After a couple of minutes, during which they just looked into each others eyes, it was Rick that spoke first.

"I have no idea what I'm doing here, Daryl. But I do know that it feels right, and I guess that's all that matters." Daryl simply nodded, as he did not trust his voice right then, and Rick continued. "I do need to clarify one thing, though." Looking alarmed, Daryl waited with held breath. "Never liked one-night-stands much. If we do this, I consider us a couple. Even if..."

Rick could not figure out how Daryl had moved so fast, but suddenly he was on Rick, pulling him into a tight hug, and kissing him passionately. Rick's eyes had closed immediately, his arms went around Daryl's body like he was on autopilot and he kissed him back with the same vigor.

Only when they had to come up for air did they part a little, and Daryl panted "What were you trying to say?" Rick looked down and answered "I was about to say that it scares the shit out of me."

"Oh." Daryl muttered meekly. He tried to pull away, but Rick was having none of that.

"Daryl. I said I am scared, not that I'm about to run. Though I gotta admit," he said and chuckled, "it feels pretty weird to have a hard-on for a guy."

Daryl's eyes took on the size of saucers as he all but whispered "Did you have to tell me that now?"

"Oooops." Rick said. "Sorry? I think?" He grinned, and his blue eyes sparkled as their corners crinkled up in that way Daryl found simply adorable. Laughing, he cranked the engine, told Rick to please not touch him until they reached their destination in order to not distract him from driving, and drove off.

Doing a small detour, Daryl drove by the restaurant again, so Rick could take his own car up to the garage.

* * *

They both parked and went into the building together, with Daryl leading the way to the apartment. He unlocked the door and went inside, switching on the light. "Would you like something to drink, Rick?" He asked and turned around to look at him, only to find the cop standing right behind him, smiling. "Gawd, Rick! I swear, you will kill me with all your cuteness..."

"Oh yeah?" Rick answered, tugging at Daryl's arm in a none too subtle attempt to make him hug Rick again. "Rick. Seriously, when I hug you now, I can't be held reliable for my further actions anymore."

Suddenly feeling insecure, Rick hung his head and whispered "I would love to say that's just what I want, but this is all too new for me."

Seeing Rick like this broke Daryl's heart, and he just had to hug him against his better judgement. In the end, he tried very hard to pull himself together while he guided Rick over to the small living room and onto the sofa, then he went into the kitchen to get some drinks for them.

When he returned to the living room, he found Rick still on the sofa, staring at nothing. Daryl went to sit beside him, put the drinks on the table – and his arm around Rick's shoulders. Leaning closer, Daryl whispered into Rick's ear "Where did you go?"

Daryl's breath ghosting over his ear made Rick shiver. He closed his eyes, then leant over and put his head on Daryl's shoulder. "Nowhere, just trying to process things, I guess." He whispered back, while Daryl kissed his temple.

"You know," Daryl started, "when I saw you sitting at the river weeks ago, I initially only wanted to take a closer look."

"Really?" Rick whispered, looking at Daryl.

"Yeah, really. But my feet betrayed me. I could have walked over more quietly, you would never have noticed I'd been there – but my subconsciousness played a trick on me and I walked in a way that got your attention." Daryl paused for a minute, caressing Rick's back now, while he interweaved the fingers of his other hand with Rick's.

"Remember that first handshake?" Daryl asked, and Rick nodded. "It felt like electricity run through me, you know, like a jolt."

Rick looked at Daryl, wide-eyed. "You felt that too?" When Daryl nodded, Rick continued. "I have never felt something like that before. Maybe that is what's so scary for me. Never even felt remotely like that when I was with Lori."

"That your ex-wife?" Daryl asked.

"Yep. And then you kissed me in that bar tonight, and the world tilted. Daryl?" Rick whispered, and he sounded scared.

"Yeah, Rick?"

"Does this mean I've always been gay and, I dunno, just never noticed?" Daryl would have laughed, if it had not been for Rick looking so utterly lost when he said that.

He pulled him closer, unable to take his hands off him, and whispered back. "No, Rick, I don't think so. If you had been gay, you would have noticed. I think it just means that you're in love. Least, that's what I hope..." Rick leaned in, his face hovering in front of Daryl's, almost within kissing range, and he asked him if he had ever felt that way before. "No, Rick. Only with you."

Rick looked at him for the longest time, searching Daryl's eyes, but he only found love and desire in them. "If I kiss you now, does that mean, um, what you said at the door when we walked in..." Rick got all muddled, and Daryl smiled.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But I can tell you right now that I will give my best to try and tempt you." And with that, Daryl leaned closer at a torturous pace, giving Rick time to pull back, but he moved with Daryl, and their lips met in a heated kiss, each caressing the lips of the other with his own.

Soon, Daryl felt like he was floating, and his hands moved as if on their own account to wrap themselves around the sides of Rick's face, holding on to him, never wanting to let the kiss end, as he licked Rick's lower lip tenderly, asking for entrance.

Moaning into Daryl's mouth, Rick opened his own lips to grant him access, and Daryl plunged his tongue inside, caressing Rick's in the softest duel. Moving his hands down over Rick's body, Daryl reveled in pure bliss as he touched Rick everywhere from his cheeks over his neck, shoulders and back right down to the waistband of his pants.

When his hands touched Rick's tight little ass, Daryl broke the kiss as his head fell back and he moaned towards the ceiling. He grabbed those gorgeous cheeks and lifted Rick up, who promptly threw his leg over, turned himself around just a little, and sat smack dab in Daryl's lap, crossing his legs behind Daryl.

They went back to kissing, which became more heated by the minute, and Daryl could not resist to try for a little more friction. One hand still on Rick's butt, the other tangled in his curly hair, he grinded his erection against Rick's, eliciting a low moan out of him.

But when Rick groaned his name, Daryl nearly lost it right then and there. He pulled back and tried to detangle himself from Rick, looking him in the eyes. "Rick?" To his astonishment, the only answer he got was such a low, deep moan of desire, unlike he had ever heard before.

"What the..?" Daryl asked, to which Rick managed to utter incoherently, and Daryl could only make out the words 'your voice' in the jamble.

"Mhhh, you like that..?" He teased, while he leaned back in to lick alongside Rick's ear, blowing on it afterwards.

"Gawd, yes," was Rick's answer, as he moved back against Daryl, doing some grinding himself this time. Of course, that was the moment in which Daryl lost the ability to think clearly. His fingers moved to swiftly open the buttons on Rick's shirt, trying to get him undressed quickly.

Daryl just could not wait to see if Rick had any chest hair, and if yes, how it would look like. He had thought about that – and other things concerning Rick's anatomy – during more nights than he cared to admit to himself, and now the time to find out was here at last.

Finally, all the buttons were open, and Daryl removed the shirt with swift motions, while his eyes took in every inch of the beautiful body he was revealing with his actions.

Suddenly self-conscious, Rick looked at Daryl, trying to find out if he deemed him pretty enough. But he saw only admiration in Daryl's eyes as he caressed Rick's chest, and Rick closed his eyes again, moaning softly at the sensation. "Daryl?" He muttered.

"Yeah?" Daryl answered, leaning in to kiss along the line of Rick's neck. In between soft moans, Rick managed to ask Daryl what he had wanted to say earlier, and Daryl answered. "I wanted to take this to the bedroom, but let's just stay a while longer, huh?"

Rick nodded. "Do you think you could lose your shirt as well?" Rick all but breathed into Daryl's ear, and never had the mechanic been faster to undress. When he threw his shirt sideways, his biceps moved notably, and Rick looked at Daryl's body in awe. Casting his eyes down, Daryl said quietly "Come on, it's not all that impressive."

He felt two fingers lifting his chin back up, as Rick looked him dead in the eye and said "Don't talk yourself down, Daryl Dixon. You have all them waitresses – and waiters – dropping at your feet, cause you're drop-dead gorgeous without even realising it." Rick very effectively prevented Daryl's protest by kissing him, leaving no doubt whatsoever about how much he thought Daryl was all that.

Eventually, Rick began to let his hands roam over Daryl's body as well, moaning near constantly, marveling at the beauty exposed to him.

"Rick?" Daryl whispered, and Rick answered with an indistinct huh, since he had been in the middle of licking a line along Daryl's protruding collarbones. "Oh gawd, I swear you'll be the death of me." Daryl moaned, and continued "Can I undress you more?" Rick nodded, and that was all it took for Daryl to open Rick's belt, moving on to the button and zipper underneath.

Then, he grabbed Rick's legs with his strong arms, lifted his lover up and deposited him next to himself on the sofa. Kneeling between his legs, Daryl removed both shoes and socks, grabbed the pants and yanked them down, leaving Rick in his underwear.

Looking up, Daryl saw the hard erection wrapped up in a pretty package of black, skin hugging shorts, and a deep sigh floated from his lips. "Wow. You're beautiful, Rick." Apparently that rendered him speechless, and he just watched as Daryl moved his hands slowly upwards over Rick's inner thighs, until they reached the hem of his underwear, fiddling with it playfully.

Daryl got up again, and casted a questioning look down at Rick. "Are you okay with me undressing as well?"

Rick nodded, and Daryl continued "Please stay seated, a'ight? You look gorgeous like this." And with that, he leaned all the way down, braced his hands right and left of Rick's head and kissed him senseless.

Moving back up into a standing position, he began to work his boots off, but had to give in for fear of landing on his own arse. After he had gotten rid of boots and socks, he got up to deal with his belt, which seemed to have some kind of arousing effect, as Rick began to rub himself slowly through his pants.

But when Daryl qirked an eybrow at him, he did not seem to know what he was referring to, so Daryl nodded his chin towards Rick's groin, trying to state the obvious without explicitly saying so. "Ooops," Rick muttered, grinning. "Can't seem to help it then, can I? You're just way too hot."

Daryl scoffed, but Rick insisted. "Honestly, Daryl – you should do this in front of a mirror sometime, see for yourself how those muscles work..." He trailed off, licking his lips. Of course, that caused a sharp intake of breath on Daryl's part, and he hurried up to get out of his jeans.

Finally rid of the too tight things, he held out his hand for Rick to grasp, pulled him up in one smooth move and hugged him as tight to his own chest as possible, nuzzling Rick's neck affectionately.

"I wanna steal you away to my room, Rick," he rumbled in his lover's ear. Shivering, Rick answered "Ok, let's go then," and he grasped Daryl's hand again, ready for him to lead the way.

Daryl felt proud about the fact that Rick trusted him like that, and he did not want to betray it under any circumstances. After they arrived in his room, Daryl asked Rick to sit down on the bed, and he sat next to him, holding his hand.

"Rick," he started, suddenly feeling nervous, "I want to clarify something. I would love to go all the way with you, but I think that might be too early. How do you feel about that?" And he looked at Rick in a way that made the other man understand how important his answer was to Daryl. Looking right back, Rick said "What else is there to do? I mean, I know about blow jobs, sure, but..."

Daryl felt about ready to pull his hair out over how cute Rick was without realising it, since the cop was blushing like mad right then, and Daryl giggled.

"You are way too cute for your own good, Rick, anyone ever told you that? And yes," he carried on, a little more serious now, "there are blow jobs. And it's totally normal to feel weird about them if you have only been on the receiving end so far. But there is other stuff as well, and I really, really need to do some of that right now. Just let me know if I do anything you don't wanna do."

And with that, Daryl pounced, tackling Rick down on the mattress, suddenly all arms and hands and hot lips. Rick moaned uncontrollably, trying to keep up, but it was no use, and he more than happily gave in to Daryl's breathless lovemaking.

Slowing down at some point, Rick had long lost all sense of time by then, Daryl knelt between Rick's legs, tugging at the waistband of his underwear. Looking for approval, he slid the cute pants down when Rick nodded for him to do so, and threw them behind himself, not caring where they landed because his eyes were transfixed on Rick's gloriously leaking member.

Daryl wiggled around a little, trying to get his own briefs off, then he leaned down and licked the head of Rick's erection slowly, wrapped his lips around it and moaned. Rick's eyes popped open in surprise, and suddenly he was moaning as well, with the sensations of those vibrations around his dick overwhelming him.

He looked down, watching as Daryl took more of him inside his mouth, hollowing his cheeks out in his relentless sucking. At some point though, Daryl let go of Rick and moved up to lay next to him, tugging at his hip to get him to mirror Daryl's pose.

When he did so, Daryl looked deep into Rick's eyes, grabbed both their cocks and began to jerk them together, causing the most delicious friction Rick had ever felt, and then he kissed him deeply, holding on to his head with his other hand tangled in Rick's curls.

Getting more aroused by the second, Rick held on to Daryl's shoulder with his right hand, while his left moved over his chiseled body, touching him hungrily as he moaned into Daryl's mouth. At some point Daryl had begun to rock his hips and caused Rick to cry out while his eyes flew open and his head fell back, equal parts surprised and turned on by yet another new experience.

Daryl watched in awe as Rick fell apart right in front of him, and he increased his efforts even more, only one purpose on his mind by now. He wanted to see Rick come undone in a way he had never wanted anything else in his life.

Desperately trying to keep his eyes open so he would not miss that moment, Daryl rubbed their dicks in perfect rhythm with pushes of his hips, and mere seconds later, Rick moaned incoherently as he came all over Daryl's hand, moving his own hips without even being aware of it.

He leaned forward in search for Daryl's lips, and when their mouths met, Rick kissed him so lovingly, still moaning from his orgasm, that he pulled Daryl right over the edge.

Shouting out loud, Daryl had only Rick's name on his lips as he came hard between their bodies, collapsing in a tangled mess of arms and legs, neither knowing nor caring where his body began and Rick's ended.

Minutes later, after their breathing patterns had turned back to normal, Daryl tried to get up. Rick giggled, because it proved to be harder than he had thought, and Daryl cursed under his breath. When he finally managed to get off the bed, he held a hand out to Rick, pulling him off the bed as well.

They walked over to the bathroom for a quick clean up, then went back and snuggled up to each other within the sheets. Daryl held Rick in a tight embrace, while he whispered sweet nonsense into his ear, and soon they were both asleep.


	7. And So the Trouble Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl and Rick have some surprise guests - one of which causes trouble.

Merle Dixon did not feel old most days. Today, however, turned out to be one of those rare exceptions where he felt every single one of his years weighing down on his shoulders.

Damn, he thought to himself when he slowly climbed the stairs to their apartment over the garage, I swear that last beer was off somehow. He walked inside towards the small kitchen, passing by the living room on his way.

Merle stopped rather abruptly and shook his head as if trying to get it cleared – which was a bad idea, seeing as he had a rather nasty headache. Doubling back, he went a few steps into the room just to make sure he had not started to see things, but the clothes were still strewn all over the sofa and the floor as well.

"Well, baby brother must've gotten further then I would have guessed," he mused out loud, his voice still gravelly from the night before, but full of wonder at the same time.

He turned around and went back on his way to the small kitchen, where he put a bag of groceries on the counter. He always felt better after a hearty breakfast when he was hungover, and he had gotten enough stuff for Daryl just in case he was still at the apartment.

Starting breakfast, Merle soon got distracted as an annoying noise pierced his still sensitive ears, and he cursed under his breath. The noise stopped eventually, and Merle let out a sigh – only to start cursing anew, as the noise rang out again.

After three times total, the older Dixon had had enough. He walked to Daryl's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Somebody's pants keep ringing in the living room, and if you guys don't answer it soon, I will. And I'm warning you that right now, I'm not in the best of moods." He announced, then turned around to go back into the kitchen, the sound of somebody stirring already audible behind the door he had just vacated.

Merle grinned to himself as he continued his preparations. He was drinking coffee from a mug when minutes later his younger brother came into the kitchen, a dreamlike expression on his face, and Merle whispered before Daryl could say anything.

"Did you take Rick back here, lil' brother?" When Daryl nodded happily, Merle pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear "Happy for ya."

Daryl hugged him back and whispered a thank you before he went to fill two mugs with coffee for himself and Rick, who walked into the kitchen then, his phone clutched to his ear, mouthing towards the brothers that it was his ex-wife.

"Hang on, I need to ask Daryl real quick," and with that, Rick held the mouthpiece shut with his thumb.

"Family emergency, Lori wants me to take Carl today, is it ok if I bring him here?" He explained, and Daryl, who was currently hunting through the cabinets, trying to find the sugar container, said "Sure. You go get him, we save you some breakfast."

He handed Rick his coffee cup and the sugar container. Daryl purposefully looked away as Rick used it, but Merle did not, and the face he pulled when he saw how much of it Rick ladled into his cup was a sight to behold.

Daryl laughed while he put the dishes and cutlery on the table. Soon after, Rick hung up and greeted the older Dixon. "Morning, Merle." He said, and took a sip from his coffee.

He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the taste, and when he opened them again, he saw himself faced with both Dixon brothers, who wore similar expressions of disgust on their faces. Merle shook his head.

"Morning, Rick. How can you drink that stuff?" He asked, and Rick thought for a moment. When understanding dawned on his handsome face, he answered "Oh. Let me guess – you drink your coffee as black as Daryl does, right?"

Merle, a confused expression on his face, asked "How else would I drink it?" Which caused a laughing fit from Daryl. "That's exactly what I said to Rick when we met in Eric's café."

Rick smiled. "Speaking of Eric..." "Oh yeah," Daryl took over, "Merle, we met Eric at the bar and he was with his new boyfriend!"

"Seems like there was something in the air, huh?" The older Dixon huffed with a twinkle in his eye. "So where is the woman you brought over for me, then?" And he pretended to look behind them as if trying to find another person there, making them all laugh.

"Well, I'll best be off to get Carl," Rick announced while he placed his half empty cup on the counter, "see you in a bit." When he turned to leave, Daryl grabbed him around the waist, pulled him into a hug and kissed him softly on the mouth.

Merle had turned towards the stove in a mock display of annoyance, giving them a little privacy. But he heard his brother when he whispered into Rick's ear to drive safely so he would come back to him.

And so, after Rick had left, Merle rolled his eyes at Daryl, but winked at him right afterwards. "Well, lil' brother, looks like you landed your queer little ass right in a steady relationship with kids and all, huh?"

But instead of scolding his brother, Daryl smiled so happy and relaxed that Merle had to smile right back at him. "How's Rick takin' it? Or has he been with guys already?" He asked, and Daryl shook his head. "No, I'm his first, but he's taking it real well so far."

The brothers sat down and started eating, while Daryl told Merle about his date with Rick. Only a short while later, Rick returned and Daryl opened the door to him and Carl, who greeted him happily.

They arrived at the kitchen talking about this and that. Daryl introduced Carl to his brother, and Merle offered him breakfast, but Carl asked for a glass of juice instead.

They all sat back down, and Merle told them about his evening. He had been out with one of their mechanics, Jim, a rather quiet, but genuinely nice fellow, and some other friends.

Carl asked if they had been drinking, and an astonished looking Merle wanted to know how he cold tell. Giggling, Carl explained how people look and what they behave like when they were hungover, and they all laughed.

"You got one smart kid there, Officer Friendly," Merle told Rick with a sheepish expression on his face, rubbing his neck in a gesture of embarrassment.

Rick's son then turned around to ask his dad how he happened to already be in Atlanta when his mom had called him, and caught a glimpse of Daryl, who had held on to Rick's hand for a moment.

"Aha!" Carl shouted triumphantly, "You are together, right? Oh, I knew it!" The adults were rendered speechless. After he had managed to gather his wits back about him, Daryl took it on himself to explain to Carl that he and Rick had only gotten together the day before, and asked him how he could possibly have known earlier.

"Pft," Carl stated with all the fake arrogance he could muster, "it was so obvious that you two got chemistry, please." While Rick and Daryl still gaped at each other, Carl plodded on, now with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"So dad already spent the night, huh? Why is it you tell us teenagers that it's not right to do so..?" He looked around the table. The Dixon brothers were laughing by then, and Rick shook his head. "Carl. Don't you think there might be a slight difference since I'm an adult, hm?"

His son nodded. "I know, dad. I was just teasing." Daryl shook his head. "Oh dear," he said, and Rick asked him if he had second thoughts already, winking at him as Daryl answered.

"Nope, I don't. So how about we go have a look at the garage, Carl?" He asked the teenager, who looked eager to go down to the shop and have a thorough look around.

They decided that Rick and Merle would clean up, while Daryl took a quick shower before he went down to the garage with Carl. Rick would squeeze a shower in as well and follow them afterwards, while Merle decided to take some aspirin and a nap.

They agreed on having pizza together in the evening. Lori had packed an overnight bag for Carl just in case, and Rick felt pretty confident that she and Shane would stay away that night, so he would have his son for some additional time.

When he and Merle were alone in the apartment, clearing away the dishes in the kitchen, the older Dixon suddenly cornered him and got right up into Rick's face.

"Listen closely now, Rick," he announced in a low tone, "I know that you think you're sure about this thing with my brother. But let me tell you right here and now, if you change your mind, and if you break his heart in the process, you'll have to answer to me. You got that?"

Rick, looking thunderstruck, only managed a feeble nod. "Good." Merle said, sounding satisfied that he had gotten his message across. He stepped back, but kept his eyes trained on Rick.

"'Cause I'd hate for him to be miserable. I love my little brother, even if he's queer, and he deserves a decent guy who is serious about him."

Rick had recovered by then. "I've never been known to fool around when it comes to relationships, Merle. And if you love your brother, we do have some common ground right there. I am as serious as a heart attack about being with him, hell, who knows how much I'm risking by that, concerning my son."

The older Dixon looked worried. "You think your old missus would try to stop you from seeing Carl? Don't you have some divorce arrangement?"

Rick nodded, but looked troubled as well. "Of course we do, but she is bitching about that already, dunno why, though. Lori has always been a little difficult, well, at least since she went and had an affair with one of my friends."

Merle shook his head. "I don't get it. You're a good guy, Rick, everybody can see that. You got a good job, even if I don't care much for cops, and she's still bitching at you? Weird."

Laughing, Rick shook his head. "You know, Merle, about me being a cop. Next time you threaten me, you best remember I am one, a'ight?" And with that, he winked at his boyfriend's brother, who clamped one of his huge hands down on Rick's shoulder, laughing as well.

* * *

The day went on smoothly from there, and when Rick went down to the garage after his shower, he found his son and Daryl deep in talk, with Daryl explaining stuff, answering Carl's endless questions patiently.

Later on, he even took a short trip around the block with Carl on his bike, from which the teenager returned with sparkling eyes.

When the day turned into evening, they all went to a pizzeria and got served by Daryl's friend Glenn, who worked there while he studied psychology. Daryl introduced Rick as his boyfriend, and Glenn smiled, looking happy for his friend.

Rick told him that Carl was his son, and if that puzzled Glenn, he did not let it on. Then again, Rick thought to himself, that was most likely owed to his experience as a waiter.

When they all had their pizza and started eating, Rick had to step outside for a moment to take a call from Lori. Back inside, he told his son that Shane would drop by the garage to pick him up, which made both father and son look sad.

A while into their dinner, Rick spoke up. "I'm thinking about moving to Atlanta after all. What do y'all think?" He asked, and Carl was all for it, whereas Daryl and Merle were a little more cautious. Daryl took Rick's hand and said "Did you think about how to tell Lori about us, if at all?"

Rick let out a sound between a moan and a sigh. "Oh shoot. I haven't even thought about that yet." Realising that his newly aquired boyfriend was struggling with the situation made Daryl wrap is arm around him, pulling him close. He kissed his forehead.

"How about we tell her some other time then? Carl," he said to the teenager, "do you think you could try to keep this a secret for now?"

Carl nodded, but added another valid point for them to consider, when he said "But dad, wouldn't mom know if you and Daryl get a house together? Or would you just tell her that he's your roommate?"

When Daryl and Rick looked dumbfounded, Carl plowed on, seemingly unaware of it. "Will I get my own room in your house?"

Merle, amused at Carl's antics, looked around the table, noticed that most of the pizza was gone, and suggested "How about Carl and I go to the ice cream parlor so you guys can talk things over?" Daryl nodded, looking grateful, whereas Rick pulled a disappointed face.

Both Dixons where puzzled at that, until Carl piped up. "Dad wants ice cream, too, Daryl. Come on, you know about his sweet tooth, right?" Daryl and Merle laughed, while Rick looked embarrassed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Merle had left with Carl and Rick had ordered dessert for himself. He and Daryl talked about Rick's plans for a while, but did not seem to get any closer to a decision. In the end, Rick looked at Daryl and flat out asked him.

"Daryl Dixon," he began, and Daryl looked alarmed. "Yeah?" Rick chuckled, then carried on. "Do you want to move into a house with me?" Speechless, Daryl cast his eyes down, as he blushed and fumbled with a napkin.

Rick felt like hugging his boyfriend right then and there, but decided to give him a moment to think before he answered. Eventually, Daryl looked back up and nodded. "Yes," he whispered, "I think I would like that very much."

Feeling ridiculously happy, Rick wrapped his arms around him and they hugged each other as tight as possible. They paid their check and told Glenn the news, then went back to the Dixon's garage to meet Merle and Carl there.

When they parked the truck, Daryl whispered to Rick "You see that? Looks like a stand-off." And he nodded his chin towards three people, who where standing in front of the door that led to the apartment.

Rick felt uneasiness creep underneath his skin as he recognised Shane among the three guys, apparently talking to Merle, while it looked like Carl was trying – and failing – to keep the peace.

Both Rick and Daryl got out of the car fast and nearly ran over to the group. When they reached them, Daryl tugged at Carl's arm to get him out of the way, as Shane was right up in Merle's face, and Daryl knew that would not end well.

Apparently, Shane had detected that manoeuvre out of the corner of his eye, as he whipped his body around and barked at Daryl "What do you think you're doing there, Dixon? I'm here to pick Carl up, and you are trying to hide him away?"

Trying to keep his cool, Daryl answered evenly "No, I'm not. But seeing as you and my brother are all up in each others face, I think between the two of you is not the best place for Carl to be right now, wouldn't you agree?"

Rick stepped next to Shane then. "What is this about, Shane?" But it was Merle who answered. "Well, me and Carl came back from the ice cream parlor and Shane was already here. As soon as he saw me, he flew right off the handle. Dunno why, though."

"Oh, you do know, don't play dumb," Shane answered snidely. He turned towards Rick, while keeping an eye out for the Dixon brothers, and said "I don't know what you were thinking, Rick, spending your time with Carl together with these rednecks. When Lori told me, I drove right over to get Carl out of here."

"What kind of an argument is that supposed to be, Shane? We had a great day together, until you came along and started slinging accusations at hard working people." Rick insisted, and Daryl stepped up to stand next to him, Carl in tow.

The teenager looked at Shane as if he had grown a second head. "You know, Shane, I always liked you. But the way you are acting now is just disrespectful." Shane gasped and was just about to start ranting anew, when Carl held up a hand to signal that he was not finished.

Caught off guard by the teenager's bold behaviour, Shane snapped his mouth shut again, and Carl added "Mister Daryl and Mister Merle have been very nice to me today. We just spent a normal day together, that's all."

Rick looked proud. "You see, Shane – I never raised my son to be a prejudiced, judgmental person. So unless you can bring any real point, which I doubt, I suggest for you to apologise to Daryl and Merle."

"Real point?" Shane fumed. "You wanna real point? How about being criminals, huh, Rick? What do you say to that?" Rick shook his head, and Daryl inquired "What are you talking about? We ain't criminals. Sure, my brother had some trouble with the law in his youth, but he did his time for that."

Merle spoke up then. "We are helping young people that struggle with life, even. Let them work here, help with authorities and such."

Shane snorted. "Right. Helping them, uh-hu. Teaching them how to cook up drugs 's more like it, I'm sure." He mumbled under his breath, but it was still audible enough for Rick, Carl and the Dixons to hear.

Putting his foot down, Rick turned to Carl and told him to go with Daryl to get his bag from the apartment, he would drive him home so he could talk to Lori about what happened. When Shane appeared to start talking again, Merle told him to best shut up, or he would make use of his householder's rights and have him removed from the premises.

Shane turned around, stomped over to his flashy car, got in and drove off, tires squealing.

Rick shook his head at the immature antics of his successor, wondering not for the first time what Lori found in him, and waited for Carl to return with Daryl, when he felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing.

"Imma sorry, Rick," Merle told him. "But that guy pressed all my buttons, and I've never even seen him before. He always like that? Geez. What an ass." He shook his head, and Rick laughed. "No, he's not. But being open-minded is not exactly his strong point, either. Unfortunately."

He sighed. "I'm sorry he was being so mean about you and Daryl." "Don't worry you pretty head about it, we used to get shit like that slung at us all the time. I just hate for the guy rile your ex-wife up against us. Won't make for an easier situation."

Rick nodded. When Carl returned with Daryl, Rick told Carl to get in the car and wait for a moment, as he would talk to Daryl real quick, but his son put his foot down. He argued that they were all in this together, and that Rick might as well say what he has to say in front of him.

In the end, Rick and Daryl agreed on meeting back at the apartment after he had talked to Lori. They hugged each other goodbye, while Carl talked to Merle, thanking him for the nice day.

Coming out of his own hug with Daryl, Rick was right on time to witness a strange sight, as the older Dixon pulled Carl into a hug as well, ruffling his hair and earning a sound of protest for it. Grinning his signature shit eating grin, Merle told Carl to take care of himself and come back soon.

Rick smiled on their way to his car, happy that his boyfriend's only relative was getting along with his son, and he drove off to have a heart to heart with his ex-wife.


	8. The Man I Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick returns from his talk with Lori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this addition to the "To Love Him is to Care for Him" storyline. There might be more in the future (taking place after the events of the original first story), but for now, this one is done.

Merle and Daryl sat around in the living room, trying to watch tv while they waited for Rick to return. Eventually it got too late, and Merle decided to go to bed so that at least one Dixon was well rested on Monday.

Besides, he still needed some more recovery time after his own evening out. Daryl stayed up, and the longer he waited, the more nervous he got.

When it was nearly midnight, Rick drove back into the small parking lot in front of the garage, and Daryl got up to meet him halfway, eager to find out what his talk with Lori had brought.

But apparently, Rick did not want to talk. When Daryl hugged him, he sighed against his broad chest and mumbled that he had enough talking for one day.

"Can't we just go to bed?" He asked Daryl, who nodded, albeit reluctantly. Rick looked at him questioningly.

"Rick," Daryl sighed after a minute, "me and Merle waited for you to come back. At least give me some pointers, cause Merle will ask me tomorrow. And you will have gone by then, you gotta work, right?"

Nodding, Rick said "Yeah, I need to leave early so I will have enough time to drive back." Both men walked back up the stairs and into the apartment. "How about we go to bed and I'll give you the gist of my talk with Lori?"

Daryl looked sceptical. "Is that a diversional tactic? Get the new boyfriend to bed, then distract him with your sexiness, so you won't have to answer the tough questions?"

Rick playfully punched his shoulder. "Sure, what else would it be?" He said with a smile, but got serious again right afterwards.

"No, Daryl. I'm just really tired from all that fuss. Basically, I got Lori tied down with her own words. I meant it when I told Shane that I never raised my son to be prejudiced, that was one of our parental guidelines when we were still married."

He shook his head, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gawd, I really can't believe it has come down to this. But I think what made Lori halfways agreeable in the first place was her being shocked by Shane's behaviour."

"Good for us, I guess, huh?" Daryl replied. "Yeah," Rick mumbled, seemingly lost in thoughts. "The question is only, for how long will that hold?"

* * *

Both men spent a few minutes each in the bathroom, getting ready for bed, and when they finally laid down next to each other, Rick whispered "Daryl?" "Yeah?" Came the answer, and Rick continued.

"Would you, I mean, I'd like for you to just, um..." Rick got hopelessly tangled up in his own sentence, and Daryl had a hard time not to laugh, once he realised what it was that his boyfriend wanted.

In the end, he lifted the bedspread and motioned for Rick to snuggle up at his side. Rick smiled a little embarrassed, but lost no time to comply.

He wrapped his arms around Daryl, who hugged him tightly to his chest, as if he could protect him from all the evils the world might decide to sling at them, if only he tried hard enough.

"Rick?" Daryl mumbled into his lover's curls, and felt him nod against his chest. "I can understand if you wouldn't want to continue our relationship."

Rick jolted from Daryl's side as if he had gotten stung. "What?" He gasped, but Daryl rubbed the small of his back soothingly. "I said I can understand. I didn't mean that I would want it, let alone like it."

"But why would you say something like that..?" His lover asked, still sounding alarmed, and Daryl continued to explain. "I only wanted to make clear that I want the best for you. And that I will accept your decision."

"Look, Daryl," Rick retorted, sitting up and leaning against the headboard, "that's real nice of you. But I already did decide. I even asked you to move in with me, remember?" He smiled when Daryl blushed, and he ran a thumb over his cheekbone.

"I want to be happy again, Daryl. And that includes you, so you better come over here and kiss me right now." With that, Rick pulled Daryl closer to himself, and their lips met in a kiss full of affection.

Coming back up for air, Rick whispered "Gawd, Daryl – I fell for you so hard." The mechanic only hummed, while he looked deep into Rick's crystal blue eyes.

After kissing his lover some more, Daryl clarified "So this is it, then? You and me, in it together, no matter what?" Rick nodded, and Daryl pulled him down onto the bed to lie next to himself, ridding him off his shirt along the way.

"Don't know about you," Daryl mumbled into Rick's ear while he licked and kissed it, "but I need some stress relief now." Laughing, Rick pulled Daryl's shirt off as well and began to touch his arms and chest.

When he playfully touched one of Daryl's nipples, though, something strange happened. His boyfriend suddenly began to breathe faster, closed his eyes and a moan from deep inside his throat echoed through the room.

A devilish grin appeared on Rick's face, as he wasted no time to explore this newly discovered erogenous zone on his lover's body. He pushed Daryl so he lay on his back and straddled him, all the while tending to both, fast hardening, buds.

When he leaned down and began to lick one of them, working on the other with his fingers, Daryl's moans became a steady noise and the mechanic caressed Rick's hair in a feeble attempt to stay somewhat grounded.

Rick felt both their erections between his and Daryl's bodies, and he began to rock his hips to try and create some friction. It seemed to work, since Daryl mumbled some curse under his breath, along with something that sounded suspiciously like 'fast learner'.

Soon enough though, Daryl turned the tables by grabbing Rick's shoulders and rolled them around so that their positions were reversed and kissed the living breath out of him.

Moaning into each other's mouths, both men let their hands roam the other's body, and when Rick felt Daryl's grab his ass-cheeks, he pulled away, panting, and bucked his hips up. Daryl smiled down at him while he continued to knead his ass, then he pulled, rolling to his side, taking Rick with him.

He leaned in to whisper into Rick's ear. "That's the cutest little ass I ever saw, you know that?" His lover laughed, but Daryl kissed him passionately. "I mean it, Rick," he whispered when he pulled back, but Rick winked at him.

"You're only saying that so you'll get something," he teased, and Daryl had to laugh. Pulling Rick into a tight hug, he rolled his hips into his lover's and moaned "I would be lying if I'd say I don't wanna."

Rick kissed him, one hand tangled into Daryl's unruly hair, while he pushed the other into his briefs, grabbing his lover's hard length to stroke it. Daryl pushed it into Rick's hand, desperate for more friction.

When Rick asked Daryl if he would fuck him, his lover looked at him doubtingly. "Don't you think that's a little early?" Rick started to protest, and Daryl held up a hand to make a suggestion. "How about I get some lube out and finger you, so you can get an idea about the whole thing?"

After a nod from Rick, Daryl got up and got some stuff out of the bedside table. He placed everything on top, took the lube and spread some on his fingers. "Take your pants off for me?" He asked, and Rick was fast to get rid of his the last piece of clothing on his body.

"How..?" He started to ask, but Daryl told him to just lie on his back and spread his legs a bit. When Rick complied, Daryl knelt down between his legs and let his eyes roam over the body that lay on display for him.

"Beautiful," he whispered, leaned down and kissed Rick lovingly, while his lubed up hand began to cautiously rub over his back entrance. Soon enough, Rick began to get a taste of it, and pushed his ass onto Daryl's fingers.

Eventually, one of those slippery digits penetrated said hole and Daryl wiggled it around, loosening Rick up. All the while, his lover held on to him, kissing and touching every available part of his body, and Daryl began to tingle with excitement.

He had added another finger to the first one and was now stretching Rick, who moaned from the sensations. Daryl leant down and whispered a question into his ear. "You ever had your prostate touched?"

The look of utter confusion on his lover's face answered that question, and Daryl moved his fingers over that bundle of nerves to show Rick why he had asked him that in the first place.

As soon as Daryl's fingers made contact, Rick's eyes flew open, his jaw sagged, and he involuntarily pushed his ass down as he cried out loud. Daryl pulled his fingers out, got rid of his own pants and sat down on the bed.

He grabbed Rick by the hips, lifted him up and placed him in his lap, sneaking his arm around him to reach for his hole again, plunging his fingers back inside. The two lovers kissed each other messily, and Rick held on to Daryl's shoulders as his lover continued to tease his back entrance.

Suddenly, it was all too much, and Rick told Daryl to pull out. Fearing that he had gone too far too soon, he complied and made as if to lift Rick off his lap, but the cop shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant." He whispered into Daryl's ear.

Sounding desperate, Rick added "I think I need you inside me, Daryl. Please?" Swallowing around a lump that had formed in his throat out of nowhere, Daryl looked at his lover with such a fond expression on his face, it almost made Rick want to cry.

Quietly Daryl asked him, if he could reach over for a condom, but Rick shook his head. "I'm assuming that you get tested regularly?" When Daryl nodded, his lover kissed him some more. Pulling back, he whispered "I want to feel all of you."

"Damn." Was all Daryl managed to say to that, but then followed it right up with a quietly uttered string of curses, as he dug around between the sheets, trying to find the bottle of lube without letting go of Rick.

Eager now to get going, Rick looked over his shoulder to help searching, and he was able to spot the bottle. He picked it up, poured lube over his own fingers, and stroke Daryl's cock, readying his lover to enter him.

Daryl's head fell back as he watched Rick, and he muttered his lover's name under his breath as he pushed his hard-on into his hand. "Stop, Rick," he told him, grabbed those narrow hips again and lifted him up, positioning him right over his leaking member.

Ever so slowly, he let Rick's body sink lower and lower, until he felt that hot back entrance of his enclosing his cock, and he could not help the moan escaping his throat. When Rick finally sat in his lap, Daryl searched his face for any discomfort, but found only wanton desire.

"Wait a moment, give your body a little time to adjust," he whispered, as he wrapped his arms around Rick to hug him tight. He kissed his neck and shoulders, then proceeded to nibble his ear, until Rick turned his head around to clash their mouths together.

Daryl took that as his cue to move, and he bucked his hips up, moaning into Rick's mouth. His lover moaned right back, and began to rock in Daryl's lap, then he lifted his ass up in order to re-organise his legs.

Now in a kneeling position, Rick began to ride Daryl's hard length, and the mechanic had to concentrate in order to hold off his own orgasm. "Oh gawd, Rick," he moaned in between hot kisses, "you are so beautiful like this."

When Rick's head fell back, the cop shouting Daryl's name to the ceiling, he just lost it. Rick's cock began to spurt strings of his cum between their heated bodies, as Daryl shot off his own load deep inside of him, biting his shoulder in the process.

They tumbled to the side and onto the sheets together in a jumbled heap of limbs, feeling utterly spent. Minutes must have ticked by until they were able to sort through their body parts enough to be able to get under the covers together, but neither man could find it in him to care.

Daryl placed a kiss on top of Rick's disheveled curls and muttered something close to goodnight, when the cop pulled back enough to look into his face. "Daryl," he whispered, barely audible, "that was awsome."

The mechanic could not have agreed more, but before he could voice that, Rick carried on. "No matter what happens, and I'm sure something will, you are my man now." Daryl buried his head in the juncture between Rick's shoulder and neck, holding him tight.

After a moment of lying like that, Rick nudged Daryl softly and asked him astonished "Are you crying, Daryl?" The mechanic shook his head, still not looking at Rick. When Rick made him lift his head with his fingers, there were a few tears gathered in the corners of Daryl's eyes, and Rick gently whiped them away.

Daryl leaned in to kiss Rick one more time before drifting off to sleep. Right before their lips made contact though, he whispered softly "I love you, Rick," and the cop smiled at him, saying right back "I love you, too."

* * *

Two doors down the hallway, Merle Dixon turned around in his sleep, blissfully unaware of the happenings in his younger brother's room, thanks to the earplugs he had put in before he went to bed – just in case.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always welcome - please let me know what you think.  
> If you should spot any blunt mistakes, please let me know about them.


End file.
